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Protection and reactions: the Russian Federation is preparing for new provocations of Ukraine on Victory Day
The Ukrainian authorities may stage provocations on their territory during the May 8-9 truce in order to blame Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry admits. On Smolenskaya Square, Izvestia was told that, despite the pseudo-peaceful rhetoric, Kiev shows an unwillingness to end the conflict. The day before, Russian air defense systems repelled one of the largest Ukrainian attacks, shooting down six Flamingo missiles and 601 drones. Against this background, on the afternoon of May 5, Internet restrictions were in effect in the capital for several hours. Experts believe that the Ukrainian authorities are deliberately trying to prevent the Victory Day Parade, as it symbolizes the common struggle of the peoples of Russia, the United States, Europe and Ukraine against Nazism.
APU attacks before Victory Day
The Russian Armed Forces repelled one of the largest Ukrainian attacks — six Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, nine aerial bombs, two HIMARS shells and 601 drones were shot down during the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on May 5. A day earlier, the military intercepted 507 drones, eight aerial bombs and seven HIMARS shells.
Despite the scale of the forces involved, the effectiveness of the attack turned out to be minimal — Russian air defense systems intercepted the vast majority of targets, military expert Dmitry Kornev emphasized to Izvestia.
— We are witnessing a massive check of the stability of our defense. However, the results confirm that the opponents did not have a technological breakthrough. Ukraine's new weapons remain incomplete, and the air defense system is confidently coping with threats," he said.
The expert considers the Flamingo missiles to be the most difficult target. They cannot be intercepted by mobile groups with machine guns or helicopters, and full-fledged anti-aircraft missile systems are required. However, its impressive size makes the Flamingo an excellent target for our radars. In addition, it has low accuracy, and most of the missiles do not reach the target.
In response, over the past day, the Russian Armed Forces have launched a group strike against facilities of the military-industrial and fuel-and-energy complexes of Ukraine used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to at least 870 military personnel, dozens of vehicles and armored fighting vehicles, as well as several electronic warfare stations.
Ukraine shows unwillingness to end the conflict in a peaceful way, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime, told Izvestia.
— Despite the pseudo-peaceful rhetoric, the cases speak much more and more precisely about Ukraine's real attitude towards the desire to reach peaceful agreements and a diplomatic solution. Therefore, this is a clear challenge and a desire to show their complete unwillingness to end the conflict in any peaceful way," the diplomat said.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that in accordance with the decision of President Vladimir Putin, a truce in honor of Victory Day was announced on May 8-9. Moscow hopes that the Ukrainian side will follow this example. However, the military department warned: in case of attempts to disrupt the celebration of Victory Day, the Russian Armed Forces will strike back at the center of Kiev.
Russia's decision to declare a truce was supported by US President Donald Trump. He discussed this issue with Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation on April 29.
After the statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Zelensky announced a "regime of silence", which will begin operating at 00:00 on the night of May 6. However, there was no explanation as to whether Kiev would adhere to the ceasefire proposed by Russia. By the way, the Russian Federation has already announced the "Easter truce" from April 11 to April 12, which the Ukrainian army violated more than 6.5 thousand times.
Political analyst Denis Denisov notes that Zelensky's statements about the "regime of silence" since May 6 are needed specifically for Western countries. This is how Kiev hopes to be perceived in a complementary format, even in the event of attempted attacks during Victory Day celebrations. Zelensky, at the summit of the European Political Community, which took place this week in Yerevan, cynically threatened the appearance of drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the parade in Moscow on May 9.
How security measures affect the lives of Russians
The Russian authorities are strengthening security measures to prevent any attempts at Ukrainian provocations. This time, the pre-holiday mobile Internet outages turned out to be more short-lived and predictable. The operators notified subscribers about them on May 4.
On the morning of May 5, users in Moscow and St. Petersburg began reporting outages in the mobile Internet. The Ministry of Finance announced that it is coordinating with law enforcement agencies to open a "white list" of sites in the capital. Internet access was restored pretty soon.
The business is actively rebuilding its work due to the necessary restrictions. For example, on the morning of May 5, the Yandex Taxi service offered to order a car by phone in its application. But, as Izvestia found out, it is not always possible to do this promptly. One of the users reported that he could not find the car according to his order.
"When the Internet is unstable, it may be more difficult for a passenger to order a taxi or wait longer for a car — drivers need more time to receive an order and find a passenger," the Yandex Go press service noted. — If there is no Internet connection, Yandex Go can automatically offer to order a taxi by phone. Or the passenger can connect to Wi-Fi and order a taxi as usual. For such orders, we recommend that the passenger call the driver and make sure that he is traveling to the correct point and will be on time.
Restaurants do not yet understand how to work in conditions of a blackout, Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers (FRiO) of Russia, founder of Meat & Fish restaurants, told Izvestia. According to him, people cannot book a table, and those who were able to do so can cancel their reservation. Many people enter establishments to use Wi-Fi — no one forbids them, but they take up seats and do not order anything, says the restaurateur. According to him, the exceptions are cafes where a casual visitor can ask for coffee with dessert, but for ordinary restaurants this is a "disastrous situation."
Izvestia's interlocutor does not undertake to assess the losses, but calls them quite large. According to him, business has to accept this situation as a given. Everyone understands that the restrictions are in the interests of the safety of the city.
Natalie Dmitrenko, co-owner of the Honest Fish restaurant chain, looks at the situation with the shutdown of mobile Internet in Moscow "without dramatization," calling it a temporary operational complication. In the restaurant business, she says, there are always external circumstances that need to be adjusted to.
Communication restrictions add complexity, but this is not a critical situation, Dmitrenko is sure: once upon a time, businesses generally operated without the usual digital infrastructure. She clarified that her restaurants had not experienced any serious disruptions in accepting payments through terminals. Losses and lost profits are primarily related to delivery delays, additional coordination costs, and the need to compensate guests for inconveniences, she noted.
Marketplaces are also adapting to the restrictions. The Wildberries&Russ press service recommends that customers take a screenshot or photo of their QR code in the app in advance. The pick-up points have software that allows you to deliver goods offline.
— Ozon pick—up points are operating normally - we do not observe massive delays or customer complaints about problems with issuing orders during periods of Internet time restrictions. Most points operate via wired Internet, and customers can receive orders using a QR code, which is updated once a day - you can download it without connecting to the Network, Ozon noted.
Whoosh users have two options to ride a scooter if they have problems with the Internet. One of them is the Troika card: by linking it to an account in the service, you can start and finish without even taking out your phone, just by attaching it to the dashboard of the scooter, said a representative of the kicksharing company. In addition, in the absence of a signal, the Whoosh mobile application independently understands this and rebuilds the connection scenario, offering to simply confirm sending an already completed SMS, he added.
Representatives of the business community understand that the restrictions imposed are related to security measures. In the years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have learned to adapt to changing conditions.
Ukraine's attempts to disrupt Victory Day celebrations
During the holidays, Kiev may try to arrange terrorist actions of various types, not limited to raids, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia. He does not rule out provocations on the territory of Ukraine during the period of the truce announced by Russia in order to blame Moscow.
— The risks are very high, considering the approaches of the political leadership. This is not the wish of the grassroots commanders, but the strategy of Zelensky and his curators, for whom these holidays are openly hostile and frightening. Because the ideology of Victory Day brings us back to clear interpretations of who is a follower of Nazism or trying to revive Nazi Hitlerite approaches, and who is on the right side of history. It's very scary for the Kiev regime," Miroshnik stressed.
By the way, Vladimir Zelensky and other officials in Ukraine constantly call the parade on Red Square a propaganda event. Back in 2023, the head of the Kiev regime signed a law on postponing Victory Day celebrations to May 8. And on May 9, Europe Day is now celebrated in Ukraine, although this holiday is associated with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and has nothing to do with Kiev.
However, there are enough people in the neighboring country who still remember the real holiday — last year, on May 9, the Ukrainian segment of Google was leading searches related to Victory Day. The Ukrainian SSR made a significant contribution to the overall victory in the Great Patriotic War. According to open data, about 2 thousand Ukrainians were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and a total of 1.7 million citizens of the Ukrainian SSR were awarded for their military exploits. That is why Kiev is seeking to sever any reminders of a shared historical past with Russia.
The Russian Federation appreciates the contribution of soldiers of the Allied armies, Resistance fighters, and the courageous people of China to the common struggle, Vladimir Putin emphasized last year in his speech at the 80th anniversary of Victory Day parade. Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia that our country does not forget that a broad coalition of states and peoples fought against Nazism.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (center) and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (right) at a joint flower-laying ceremony by Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden in Moscow on the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, May 9, 2025.
— Now we see that the Europeans, unfortunately, do not seek to fight Nazism, moreover, they support the Nazi Kiev regime. The vaccine against Nazism has stopped working in some European countries," he stressed.
Nevertheless, representatives of some European countries continue to come to Moscow to celebrate Victory Day. Last year, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljka Cvijanovic arrived in Moscow to mark the anniversary of the end of the bloodiest conflict.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced his visit this year. According to the politician, he intends to lay flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier and meet with Vladimir Putin. The Baltic states have already banned the flight of the Slovak Prime Minister through their territory. Robert Fico clarified that European leaders criticize him for his contacts with Vladimir Putin, but behind the scenes they are interested in the details of his visit.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
